Space Stories: Threat to Chinese Space Station, Solar Storms on the ISS, and Dream Chaser Prep Continues

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Here are some recent space-related stories of interest.

—Time: “China’s Imperiled Astronauts Illustrate the Dangers of Space Debris“

No trip to space can be counted a success unless you make it safely back to Earth…And it’s a lesson that was learned anew this week by the taikonauts—Chinese astronauts—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie. The trio arrived at China’s Tiangong Space Station aboard their Shenzhou-20 spacecraft on April 24, and were set to come home on Nov. 5, handing the keys to the station over to the three-person crew of Shenzhou-21, who arrived on Oct. 31. But that was not to be. Not long before Shenzhou-20 was set to carry the three home it was struck by a piece of space debris, leaving cracks in one of its windows. That can be deadly in a spacecraft that is supposed to remain airtight both in the vacuum of space and in the steadily thickening atmosphere as it returns to Earth.

—Yahoo News: “Russian Cosmonauts Take Shelter on International Space Station During Severe Solar Storm“

A powerful geomagnetic storm that dazzled skywatchers across the Northern Hemisphere earlier this month also affected life aboard the International Space Station (ISS). During the Nov. 11-12 solar storm, Russian cosmonauts temporarily relocated their sleeping quarters as a precaution against increased radiation exposure, NASA confirmed.

—Space News: “Dream Chaser Completes Key Tests Ahead of First Flight“

Sierra Space has completed key testing milestones for its Dream Chaser vehicle as the company explores both civil and national security missions for the spaceplane. The company announced Nov. 13 that the first Dream Chaser vehicle, Tenacity, completed electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center...While Sierra Space is emphasizing national security uses, the company is keeping open the option of using Dream Chaser to support the ISS or future commercial space stations, known as commercial low Earth orbit destinations, or CLDs.